Boxerworks.com

Fish takes the hook.

Of course, a crash bar argument needs balance.

Hundreds of touchdowns both sides. Some hard. These bars don't hit the ground before the valve cover any more, so they are now driving light holders. I would have been on my tenth pair of covers without the wear limiters (crash bars)



Field test video. The crash bars were the difference between rotating the cover and plugging the hole, and putting the bike on a trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpcz1qcxYuA

Souljer wrote:Anyway,
So can I get that old key out of there and have a new key made for it?
I love the way it looks.

I'm confused - do not both folding keys work in your ignition?

I am sure it is possible to take a folding key apart, but I never suceeded, although I never tried very hard.

I did find out that a good locksmith can cut a folding key blank with his machine with out taking the key apart.

edit: new folding blanks are available from any (including automobile) dealer:
13 KEY (BLANK) X 51251453659 $12.00
http://www.ascycles.com/Illustrated_cat ... at=51_2446

I think these are the fancier of the two folding ones. I don't think the plain one is made anymore.

justoneoftheguys wrote:

Souljer wrote:Anyway,
So can I get that old key out of there and have a new key made for it?
I love the way it looks.

I'm confused - do not both folding keys work in your ignition?

Correct.
They do not both work.

The lower three keys work on the bike. Any one key will operate and open everything.
The bike also came with the original Warranty Information & Service History manual and the original Rider's Manual. The Rider's Manual states that three keys come with the new bike: "1 folding head master key and 2 rigid head spare keys are supplied".

The seller/previous owner only gave me one rigid key when I bought the bike so I thought that's all there is. Then he found the folding master and mailed it to me. Then he found the other keys, the second rigid for this bike and another nicer folding one and a matching rigid and sent me the whole key ring. I'm sure this collection of keys has been following the bike around for decades.

In the picture, the upper two are both the same but a different code. They work on some other bike lost in the sands of time. The tags on the rings are key codes. One matches the key code numbers written inside the Warranty Information manual.

Now I'm just wondering if I can either find folding blanks with the little mini-badge or get another key fitted to the one I have so I can have it cut to work on this bike. Actually you gave me the idea that I might just have a chat with a locksmith and see if this is something he's done before or knows how to go about it. Sometimes it's something that looks difficult or baffling but then you talk to the right person and they say, "Oh, yeah. No problem. I do it all the time".

The part number for the pretty folding key blank is 51 25 1 453 659.

Call any BMW dealer (car or motorcycle) and provide them with that number and they can order you one.
Take it to your favorite locksmith along with a working key. Probably best to take the bike along.

motobins has cheap key blanks - not the same as what you have, but you might like them. wander over to their web site and have a look. It would be cheaper than altering an existing key, FWIW

Thanks guys. That sounds good.
I'll get to a local BMW auto dealer near me on Monday. I also found a few sources for folding keys on-line so one way or the other.

Hi,

Now a gear question.
This may sound stupid and I'm just starting out here trying to figure out if it's me or what.

Is it possible for ones hands to get tired or sore from gloves?
I've noticed that both hands but mostly my right is often tired and sore during and after riding only about an hour or less. Most of my work is hands-on type stuff so I don't think I'm particularly wimpy in the grip department, but I can only think of the variable of gloves and I've never heard of that.
Looking closer I noticed that there is quite a bit of fabric/ leather between my fingers and maybe that's causing extra tension and effort?
I don't know. Is that possible?

With that in mind I've been looking into other gloves. The ones I have are work gloves; some thinsulate and leather and fabric, but not specified for motorbike riding. No extra padding etc.
Right now I'm looking at Lee Parks or Aerostich Competition Ropers as these seem closest to what I have now but motorcycle oriented. I'm not really interested in gloves that have a bunch of bits and pieces, plastic, etc. on them. I don't want to spend $300.00 on race gloves.
Anyone have any experience with Parks or Aerostich Competition Ropers? Are they both great and about the same?

Thanks.

I had my left hand crushed while riding due to inattentiveness on my part.
I don't know if the armored gloves would have protected my digits better. Keeping my eyes on the road ahead of me definitely would have!

Since then I have replaced my gloves with some nice, custom-made gloves from Bertie's: http://www.berti4gloves.com/
She was the one blessed with the Thurlow dies when they went out of business.

She will work very hard with you to get the fit you want.





And unless you are running heated grips, you could try changing out your grips.
I have these on my CBR. I love them.



Available here: http://www.caferace.com/Merchant2/merch ... _Code=RRBT

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

First, I do have heated grips. The bike came with them already installed. I think they are BMW grips actually. Only used them once by accident when I was pushing buttons and left them on. About four blocks from home I start feeling the heat coming through the gloves. The grips work great.

I was not sure if I wanted the shorter glove or a longer glove that I could either have over my sleeve or strapped down more and tucked under the sleeve.
I do have an issue with sizing. My hands seem to be XL or XXL from heal to tip, with longish fingers, but L or XL in width (side to side). So I end up with gloves that either don't close down (make a fist) very well or, I have the length in the fingers but then they are way to loose and floppy left to right in the palm. This is annoying but not a big deal in work gloves but I think worse in a riding glove.

Thanks for your help and the lead. I'll check them out.

Aerostitch elk skin ropers are the only gloves that I've used for the past 6-8 years in all weather on my 100RT. You're looking at the right sources for good equipment. Deer skin or elk skin are the best. Anyone using Thurlow's designs/techniques is undoubtedly making a quality product, too. Gran Turismo grips are very comfortable, as are Fin Q grips. The latter have a built-in throttle rocker molded into the right side grip that seems to make steady-speed cruising easier since the heel of the hand, rather than the gripping of the fingers, really does the throttle control work.